[Photos] Not A Bar, Not A Restaurant; Old Klang Road’s New Favourite Thing Is Both
Hoshiki, a Japanese izakaya built around a highball and a skewer just opened where Old Klang Road meets Pearl Shopping Gallery — and it is already making the case that casual has been misunderstood all along.
- Hoshiki's third outlet on Old Klang Road blends charcoal-grilled skewers, sashimi, and Suntory highballs in an authentically curated Japanese izakaya setting.
- The brand has quietly built a loyal following across PJ and Subang, filling a real gap for relaxed, affordable after-work gathering spots.
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The ribbon was cut, the lion danced — not outside, not ceremonially at the entrance, but inside, weaving between tables of guests who were already eating and drinking.
Somewhere behind the bar, a row of Suntory Kakubin bottles stood in a line, waiting.
This is how a Japanese izakaya, Hoshiki, opens in Old Klang Road.
The occasion was the official launch of a third outlet by a brand that started in Petaling Jaya three years ago and has, quietly and without much fanfare, become the kind of place people in PJ and Subang describe as their regular.
The opening was officiated by Dato Sri Tan Aik Kiong, Managing Director of Aikbee Group and operator of Pearl Shopping Gallery, alongside co-founders Aaron Lim, William Lee and Ken Lee.
This Is Not a Decorated Restaurant, It Is a Built World
Step inside and the first thing that hits you is the walls.
Every surface is covered — vintage Japanese beer advertisements, manga panels, Kirin Ichiban posters, retro Tokyo Calendar spreads, Dragon Ball artwork — layered across the walls like someone spent months collecting them.
It does not look like a Malaysian restaurant decorated to feel Japanese; it looks like it was assembled by people who actually care about this culture, one poster at a time.
The wall — Kirin, Suntory, manga, retro beer ads; this is not an interior designer’s mood board, this is a collection.
The ceiling continues the conversation: izakaya banners in red, black and white, paper lanterns strung from beam to beam.
The outdoor alfresco section, shaded by awnings and lit by red and white lanterns, faces the street directly.
From outside, you can see the glow before you walk in; that visibility is not accidental.
The Drink Comes First, That Is the Point
Two Suntory Kakubin highballs in branded glass mugs, condensation forming, lemon wedge resting at the bottom, bubbles still rising.
That photograph does not need a caption.
The Signature Highball — made with Suntory Kakubin or Dewar’s Japanese Smooth — has, by the brand’s own account, outsold beer at its existing outlets in Damansara Uptown and Taipan, Subang.
That is either a remarkable achievement or a very honest signal about what the crowd here is actually looking for.
Probably both.
The person carrying those drinks matters too.
A server in a floral yukata-style top, red headband, three highball mugs balanced in one hand, payment terminal in the other, smiling like she means it — that image is the brand in a single frame.
Not a uniform, not a costume, but a character.
What Comes Off the Grill
The food is built around fire.
Whole prawns on open charcoal, smoke rising, tongs turning them mid-cook — the grill shot communicates something a menu list cannot: this kitchen is not reheating things.
There is heat here, and intention; the skewer menu runs from chicken thigh and skin to tsukune with egg yolk to the house favourite, pork belly kushiyaki.
Around that core: salmon belly sashimi, yellowtail, tuna, nori tacos sashimi, chicken karaage, Osaka-style gyoza, pork lard udon, fried oysters.
The torched salmon belly sushi — topped with ikura and tobiko — is the dish that gets photographed before it gets eaten.
This is not a menu trying to please everyone.
It is a menu that knows exactly who it is cooking for.
The Room Tells the Story
Look at the crowd photographs, and the brand’s positioning stops being marketing language.
A table of four — two women, two men, different ages — raising highball mugs with full, unguarded smiles.
A long indoor table of men deep in animated conversation, skewers mid-eat, glasses everywhere, nobody performing for the camera.
A packed alfresco section where the laughter is audible even in a still image.
Lim, one of the co-founders, said at the opening:
Everyone should have a place where they can truly be themselves. Whether it’s a casual meal, after-work drinks, or a gathering with all levels of the family — Hoshiki is a space where everyone can relax, connect, and enjoy the moment in their own way.
The photographs make that quote unnecessary, and that is the highest compliment a brand can receive.
Why Old Klang Road, Why Now
The brand’s first outlet opened in Damansara Uptown in 2023. Taipan, Subang followed.
Old Klang Road is the third — and the most deliberate move yet.
The corridor connecting Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya has a long-established residential base and a working professional crowd that has, until recently, had limited options for after-work gatherings that were neither a mamak nor a full-service bar.
The gap was not invisible; it was just unfilled.
Pearl Shopping Gallery has been quietly repositioning itself as a neighbourhood evening destination.
The alfresco layout, the street-facing lantern glow, the capacity for 60 to 100 guests — all of it fits a space trying to extend its relevance past retail hours.
Three outlets in three years, average spend between RM30 and RM60 per person, open from noon to midnight.
The brand calls itself the Highball Hero of Petaling Jaya.
Old Klang Road is next.
All photos taken by the writer.
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